1. Introduction
   1. Who is Shah Jahan and what is he best know for?
   2. What does this allegory in stone symbolize?
3. What caused the weakening of the Islamic Empires?
2. Formation of the Islamic empires

1. The Ottoman empire (1289-1923)
   1. Who founded the Ottoman Empire?
   • What is a Ghazi?
   2. Ottoman expansion into Byzantine empire
   1. Dessribe how their military was organized?
   2. Who are the Janissaries, where did they come from and who were they loyal to?
   3. What did they use effectively in battles and sieges?
   3. Mehmed the Conqueror (reigned 1451-1481)
      1. What happened in 1453?
      2. What type of government did he control?
      3. How far did his empire expand to the west?
   4. Suleyman the Magnificent (reigned 1520-1566)
      1. Where did he expand the Ottoman Empire?
      2. Under his leadership the Ottomans became a major what?
2. The Safavid empire
   1. The Safavids, Turkish conquerors of Persia and Mesopotamia
      1. Who is Shah Ismail?
      2. What was his official religoin?
      3. Where does the name Safavids come from?
   2. Explian Twelver Shiism .
      3. Who were the qizilbash?
   3. Who was the biggest enemies of the Safavids?
      1. What was the name of the in 1514 that involved the Safavids and this enemy?
      2. What was the result of the battle? Why was the winner successful?
   4. Who revitalized the Safavid empire in 1588-1629?
      1. What were his accomplishments?
3. The Mughal empire
   1. Who appeared in northern India and claimed to be the descended from both Chinggis Khan and Tamerlane?
      1. How was he different than the Ottomans and the Safavids?
      2. What was his great ambition?
      3. What land did he successfully invaded with the help of firearms and artillery?
      4. By his death in 1530, what dynasty had Babur founded that expanded to almost all of the Indian subcontinent?
   2. Who was the real architect of the Mughal empire because he created a centralized, absolutist governemtn?
      1. Where did he expand the empire?
      2. What policy is Akbar best know for?
      3. Explain the syncretic religion that Akbar developed?
   3. The Mughal Empire reached its greatest extent under who?
      1. Which of Akbar's policy did he revok?
      2. Who was taxed under this policy?
      3. What was a result of this policy?
3. Imperial Islamic society
   1. Introduction
   • What were the similarities between the Safavid, Ottoman and Mughal societies?
   2. The dynastic state
   1. How did the emperors rule and controll their empires?
   2. The emperors and Islam
      1. In the Ottoman, Safavid and Mughal empires, the prestige and authority of the dynasty was derived from what?
      2. Devotion to Islam encouraged rulers to do what?
   3. Steppe traditions
      1. What was an ongoing problem facing all the empires?
      2. What did Mehmed the Conquerer decry to help solve this problem?
   4. Who often wielded great influence on politics?
   3. Agriculture and trade
      1. What was the foundation of all the Islamic empires?
         1. What were their Major crops?
         2. Compared to Europe, East Asia and Africa, what did not have a dramatic effect on the Islamic Empires?
         3. What were the most important and popular Imports from America?
         4. These imports resulted in protests from Islamic moralists? why?
      2. What was less dramatic in the three empires than in China or Europe?
         1. Why was their significant population growth in India?
         2. Less dramatic growth in what empires?
      3. For many centuries what was very important to all three empires?
         1. Segments of the east-west trade routes went through what empires?
         2. What did the Ottoman Empire grant to France and England?
         3. What did the Safavids offered to European Trading Companies?
         4. To curry favor, what did the English send to the Safavids?
         5. Of the three Islamic Empires who was empire less attentive to foreign or maritime trading?
         6. On the coast of India the Mughals permitted trading stations for who?
   4. Religious affairs in the Islamic empires
      1. What created challenges to the rule of the empires?
      2. What were some of these different religious communities?
      3. Who encouraged religious diversity and tried to find a religious synthesis that would unite his people?
         1. What was the center of Christian missions in India?
         2. Who tried to convert Akbar?
         3. What did Akbar tolerat Sikhism?
         4. What new relgion was Akbar and advocate for?
      4. How were religious minorities treated in the Islamic States?
         1. What is the dhimmi?
         2. What is the jizya?
         3. Under the Mughals, what was the status of Muslims and Hindus?
         4. How did Akbar's policies changed under Aurangzeb?
   5. Cultural patronage of the Islamic Emperors
      1. How did the Islamic rulers seek to enhance their presige?
      2. What is the capital of the Ottoman Empire?
      • What is The Suleymaniye?
      3. What is the capital of the Safavid Empire?
      4. What is the Mughal capital, created by Akbar?
      1. Why was the site abandones?
      2. What is an exquisite example of Mughal architecture?
4. The empires in transition
   1. The deterioration of imperial leadership, the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries
      1. Why was there dynastic decline?
      2. Why did political troubles increase?
         1. Ottoman conservatives resisted what technical innovations?
         2. In the Safavid empire: Shiite leaders urged the shahs to persecute who?
         3. Why did Aurangzeb's policies provok deep animosity of Hindus?
   2. Economic and military decline
      1. What were the reasons why the economies began to decline in the Islamic Empires?
      2. Why did the Military begin to decline?
   3. Describe some examples the Islamic Empires cultural insularity.